Spain pledges to withdraw troops from Iraq

MADRID, Spain -- Spain's incoming prime minister pledged Monday to bring Spanish troops home from Iraq unless the United Nations takes control there, harshly criticizing the U.S.-led war even as he promised to maintain good relations with Washington.

A day after his Socialists swept Spain's ruling conservatives from power in elections overshadowed by terrorist bombings, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero also promised to lead a more pro-European government that would restore "magnificent relations" with France and Germany -- which, unlike Spain's outgoing government, both opposed the Iraq war.

In a surprise defeat, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's conservatives on Sunday became the first government that backed Washington in Iraq to be voted from office.

The election was held amid charges that Aznar made Spain a target for terrorists by supporting the war, and that his government concealed possible connections between the attack and Islamic terrorists for political gain. Thursday's train bombings -- the worst terrorist attacks in Spain's history -- killed 200 people and wounded some 1,600.

Zapatero campaigned on a pledge to order Spain's 1,300 troops home. He made clear Monday he is prepared to fulfill it.

"I have said clearly in recent months that, unless there is a change in that the United Nations take control and the occupiers give up political control, the Spanish troops will come back, and the limit for their presence there is June 30," Zapatero told a news conference.

He described Spain's decision to commit peacekeepers to Iraq as "an error."

The U.N. Security Council has authorized the current multinational force in which Spain is participating. But there has been no talk of turning that force, which is led by the United States, into a U.N.-controlled peacekeeping force.

President Bush called Aznar on Monday to thank him for his "support, his friendship and his strong leadership," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

Bush then called Zapatero.

"The two leaders both said they look forward to working together, particularly on our shared commitment to combating terrorism," McClellan said.

Zapatero promised to maintain "cordial" relations with Washington, but he had harsh words for the war in Iraq and the U.S.-led occupation.

"It divided more than it united, there were no reasons for it. Time has shown that the arguments for it lacked credibility and the occupation has been managed badly," he said.

Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair "will have to engage in reflection and self-criticism," he said in a separate interview with Cadena Ser radio. "You cannot organize a war with lies."

The vast majority of Spaniards opposed the war in Iraq. Despite Zapatero's strong words, some were skeptical he would honor his pledge to withdraw troops.

"It's easy to make promises, but a lot of interests count against him doing it," said Alberto Dorado, who works at a newspaper kiosk in Madrid.

Added Juan Angel Serrano, a teacher: "I was never in favor (of sending troops), but we have to fulfill our commitments."

As well as reversing Spain's stance on Iraq, Zapatero said he would make Spain's relations with its European Union partners a priority.

Spain and Poland have argued with Germany and France over a proposed new EU voting system that Madrid and Warsaw fear would lessen their influence in the bloc. The argument has stalled negotiations on a new EU constitution.

"Spain will get back in touch with Europe -- Spain will be more pro-European than ever," Zapatero said.

A leading Spanish socialist in the European parliament, Enrique Baron Crespo, said the new government would "no longer block" talks on the EU constitution.

In Sunday's election, the Socialists jumped from 125 seats to 164 in the 350-member Congress of Deputies.

Although they fell short of a majority, Zapatero said he would try to govern without a coalition partner. The new administration likely will take office in a few weeks.

Aznar's conservative Popular Party, which had led pre-election polls before the Madrid train bombings, fell from 183 seats to 148.

After the bombings -- purportedly claimed by the al-Qaida terror network -- Aznar's government was accused of misleading voters by insisting that armed Basque separatists were the prime suspects, even as evidence mounted of an Islamic link.

A U.S. counterterrorism official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Monday it appears "increasingly likely" Islamic extremists played a role in the Madrid attacks though "a number of avenues are being pursued." In addition, U.S. authorities aren't ruling out al-Qaida involvement or the possibility Muslim extremists were working with the Basque separatist group ETA, the official said.

Police also were investigating a possible link between the bombings in Spain and attacks in Casablanca last year, focusing on a Moroccan arrested in Spain over the weekend.

Yet Zapatero was keen to dismiss suggestions that the bombings swung the elections. "People wanted change in Spain because there was a government that had done things badly," he said.